Rugby 360

It was always going to happen, and now we see the predictable about to become reality. Apparently, rugby great Mike Tindall, along with a slew of rugby and sports management types are launching an F1-style rugby championship worldwide. To me, it also sounds a little like the NBA where players commit to a franchise.

The format of the competition will be all-important. There must be clear winners and losers, culminating in a playoff and grand final. Anything else will not work from a TV audience perspective. 

And they'd be wise to keep the game old-fashioned, the way the NBA has to a certain extent by keeping with the traditional orange leather ball, and having tip-offs for play restarts. But one innovation they could try is having two referees on the field, the way rugby league did in the NRL from 2009 to 2020. There are too many stoppages in rugby these days, while the crooked video ref decides who has paid him the most to make the call. You need decisions made there and then.

Another suggestion: stop with changing the rules every year, it is getting hard to keep up with all the various interpretations of the 'laws' of the game. The game has potential to really entertain but the pressure will be to make rugby look like American football, and doing so would be a big mistake. 

For players, it comes down to price tags, the new organisation appears to be trying to keep international rugby onside by looking at player windows; they'd be wise to just think about what suits them, not other organisations which are rivals at the end of the day.

https://www.cityam.com/red-bull-eyes-franchise-in-r360-rugby-breakaway-league/